The Gradient

From the National Wildlife Federation’s Dr. Amanda Staudt (full post),

While opponents want to draw attention to decade-old emails, here is what is happening right now to the planet:

• Temperatures this decade have been higher than any other decade on record, and one degree (F) higher than average temperatures in the 20th century.

• Ocean temperatures worldwide this summer were hotter than ever previously recorded.

• Stable sea ice in the Arctic melted to its lowest recorded levels this summer, declining more than 60% since the 1980s and 1990s.

• Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere for 2009 (387 parts per million) are the highest they have been in about 15 million years.

• Globally, 8.7 billion tons of carbon were emitted in 2008 from burning coal, oil and natural gas, a 41% increase from 1990.